


And Fall In Love With It Too

by Ember360



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Crushes, Dancing and Singing, Day At The Beach, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:01:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22873654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ember360/pseuds/Ember360
Summary: Argo, Fitzroy, and the beach.
Relationships: Argo Keene/Sir Fitzroy Maplecourt, Master Firbolg & Argo Keene, Sir Fitzroy Maplecourt & Rainer, Sir Fitzroy Maplecourt & Snippers
Comments: 26
Kudos: 119





	1. I care about you, I guess

**Author's Note:**

> Tags in order of appearance
> 
> The title is from Hidden In the Sand by Tally Hall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Argo’s got a lot on his mind and he misses the sea.  
> Fitzroy just wants him to get out of the bathroom... and also feel better. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The events of this chapter take place before Mission Imp Hospital and after Rainer's birthday party.

The last person Argo wanted to talk to right now was Fitzroy. He had thought that maybe everything was going to be alright from now on. He was alright with becoming one of the Thundermen (at least temporarily), he was having fun making new friends and he was eager to discover more about his mom. But then things got all... difficult.  


Argo didn’t know why The Unbroken Chain wanted to know about Fitzroy and his magic. Argo had sworn himself to them, but now that he was on his first mission, he was... hesitant, to say the least.  


So here Argo was, sitting in the bathtub in his clothes, the golden chain he had received just yesterday curling around his fingers as he twisted the piece of jewelry over and over. His other hand gently splashed at the water filling the tub, dragging through it mindlessly. The sea had been his home for so many years and gods was he homesick. The rhythm of the waves as they crashed against the wooden boat, the rocking of the ship, the smell of salt...  


Knock, knock, knock! Argo jumped a bit at the sound of someone banging their fist against the wood of the bathroom door, causing some of the water to splash out of the bathtub. “Argo, you can’t keep doing this!” protested a familiar voice. “Other people have to use the bathroom too!”  


“Sorry Fitz,” Argo commented, sinking further into the tub, “I’ll, uh, be out in a minute?” With that his mouth sank under the water, using his gills to breathe instead.  


There was another, smaller thump as Fitzroy leaned his head against the door in exasperation. “Why do you take so long anyway? Your hair is, like, made of water.”  


Argo gurgled something and then poked his head out of the water. “I’m taking a bath!” It wasn’t really the whole truth, but that meant it wasn’t really a lie either. Lying was easy for Argo, but for some reason he felt a bit bad about lying to Fitzroy...  


“Taking a bath? Uh-huh, and you did that this morning too? Two baths a day?” Fitzroy questioned, his tone of voice between skeptical and impressed. “I didn’t take you to be one for hygiene, Argonaut Keene. You better not be using my shampoo!”  


“Whoops,” Argo teased. It was hard to mope around when Fitzroy so easily fell right into his trap. He was gullible, and Argo found that both a bit worrying and endearing. “I’ve been using your shampoo this whole time! And your towel! And, uh, your toothbrush!“  


There was a pause of silence. Argo thought that maybe his friend had left out of disgust. Funny, he was a bit sad now that- “GROSS!” Fitzroy shrieked. “You’ve got to be joking!”  


Argo chuckled to himself and ducked his head underwater again as Fitzroy droned on about how unsanitary he was. There was a glint of gold underneath the water, and Argo recognized it as the necklace that Mosh had made him. He must have accidentally dropped it when Fitzroy had startled him. Argo felt a ping of sadness and as he shifted in the water, for a moment he could hear Fitzroy’s voice clearly again.  


“-honestly, you worry me-“ he said. This caught the genasi’s attention. Argo perked up, his arms leaning against the edge of the bathtub, intrigued.  


“You worry about me? Why?” he asked. Fitzroy finally stopped talking.  


\--- 

Dangit. Argo had caught Fitzroy off guard. Why Fitzroy worried about his henchperson and companion was a different question than what he worried about. What he worried about was Argo sneaking off, his apparent aptitude in blame-taking, his frequent stays in the bathroom for sometimes hours on end. But why...  


Maybe it was because Fitzroy found Argo annoying and wanted to annoy him back by pestering him. Maybe it was because Argo teased Fitzroy and he wanted to tease him back. Maybe it was because Fitzroy thought Argo was awesome and cunning and beautiful and he wanted to help him feel safe and comfortable and he wanted to hear his laugh more often. Probably one of the the first two...  


“I- I don’t know,” Fitzroy said instead. There was an awkward silence. Fitzroy looked down at his feet, shuffling them quietly. “I-“ his voice cracked a bit. “I guess it’s because I, uh, I care about you, you know?” The silence continued, the only sound coming from the other side of the door being the sloshing of water. Dangit, dangit, dangit. Oh gods, he said too much, didn’t he? Now Argo would think that-  


“Thank you,” Argo’s voice was closer than it had been before. He must have gotten out of the bathtub. He sounded genuinely grateful. “I care about you too, Fitzroy.” There was another pause, and Fitzroy’s heart skipped a beat at Argo’s sweet words. “Truth is, I didn’t use your shampoo. Or your towel or your toothbrush. I’m not even taking a bath, I’ve just been sulking here. Fitz, I’m-“ Fitzroy’s heart then plummeted as he heard Argo choke on his words and take a shuddering breath. “I guess I just miss my h- the ocean.”  


Fitzroy took a deep breath silently. He knew what to do, what he wanted to ask. Just do it, just ask him. “I could take you the beach,“ he said, his hand running against the door. “Only if you want,” Fitzroy added quickly.  


Yet another pause and then, suddenly, the door swung wide open and Fitzroy was met with the face of his friend, beaming from ear to ear (gill to gill? he didn’t really have normal ears). Argo’s eyes glimmered with excitement, his face only an inch away from Fitzroy’s. Fitzroy could feel his own face flush a bit at that closeness. “Really?!”  


Fitzroy's eyes took in Argos face, his dark eyes, his scales like freckles, his charming mustache, his hopeful expression. The half-elf backed up a bit, flustered. “Um, yeah just because I have nothing better to do, it’s no big dea-.”  


Arms wrapped around Fitzroy as Argo gave him a hug, causing him to stop mid sentence out of shock. Argo was definitely one for physical affection, constantly leaning on people, giving nudges or high fives, trying to give hugs or hold someone’s hand. Fitzroy would usually scoot away anytime Argo got too close. He just wasn’t used to that sort of thing. Gods, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d let someone hug him. But with Argo it was different. He was gentle and surprisingly warm. And also wet. He was soaking and he was getting Fitzroy’s clothes all wrinkled but Fitzroy didn’t care. All he cared about right now was Argo.  


Fitzroy stiffened as Argo embraced him, surprised and unsure. The genasi seemed to notice this and slowly began to pull away. But then Fitzroy clasped his arms around Argo, relaxing and burying his face in Argo’s shoulder. He smelled like rain and citrus.

It was hard for Fitzroy to decipher what he felt while in Argo's embrace because he was feeling a lot of different things. In the first second, there was surprise and anxiety. But those had both quickly gone away, leaving behind comfort and safety. Fitzroy wanted to keep Argo safe, and he knew Argo wanted the same for him. He wanted to be close to him, to care and to be cared for, to feel loved by him. And right then, even if for a split second, he did. Fitzroy felt loved by Argo. 

Fitzroy pulled away, slowly. If he kept this up, he would start crying and then Argo would ask questions and he didn't think he had it in him to find all the answers. Not yet. So Fitzroy unfolded his arms and moved backwards reluctantly. He looked at his feet, then glanced back up at Argo sheepishly. 

Argo took Fitzroy's hand in his lightly. "Thank you," he repeated with a smile that made Fitzroy grow red all over again. "I'd love to go to the beach with you, Fitzroy." 

Fitzroy's heart pounded in his chest as he stared up at Argo. "I-" he was almost too flustered to speak. "Yeah, sure," he smiled. Now his offer was really sinking in, the fact that he and Argo would be going to the seaside together, just the two of them. The very thought of it created butterflies in his stomach. "No problem."

Argo glanced out the window, at the night sky. "Its late. I'm gonna head off to bed now. See ya in the morning, Fitz." Argo looked down at his hand, the one holding Fitzroy's. He then glanced up at Fitzroy, his eyes lingering there a bit before he let go and waved over his shoulder, heading into his room. 

Fitzroy watched as Argo went, as he closed the door behind him. He stepped towards his bed and collapsed onto it. "Hell," he cursed poorly as his face grew red, attempting to process what had just happened and what he just had felt.


	2. Pep talk O'clock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rainer gives Fitzroy some advice while Argo has a conversation with the Firbolg- both discussing the other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give me Wingwoman Rainer and Wingman Firbolg or give me death.

Okay, so what if Fitzroy had a crush on Argo? Its not like it _meant_ anything! He had had crushes on people before, guys and gals he found to be charming and cute. This was practically inconsequential: Nothing more than just some mushy feelings that would naturally subside over time. Right?! _Right?!_

"Fitzroy? You okay there, friend?" Fitzroy was pulled out of his thoughts by Rainer's soft and concerned voice. "Your omelet is getting cold. If you want to zone out, do it in Strategy class," she snickered at her own joke a bit. 

Fitzroy chuckled a little, more out of courtesy than amusement. He had too much on his mind right now to appreciate any jabs at the boringness of his classes. He turned back to his omelet, talking a small bite out of it. Not as good as crepes... He recalled when he had first discovered the tragic crepe-less truth of this school and Argo had proposed that they use batter instead of eggs using the omelet machine. It was the first time he really had felt a fondness for, honestly, anyone at the school. He guess he had come far in ways that he hadn't previously wanted, or even realized were possible. He had friends now. How curious. 

But with friends came complications. Especially if said friends were clever and awesome and adorably handsome. Especially if you couldn't stop thinking about said friend's embrace, sturdy yet gentle. Especially if you wanted to be with said friend, just the two of you, watching the sunset as the tide rolled in and-

"Fitzroy!" Rainer said again, this time louder, causing her friend to jump a little bit. "Seriously, you're freaking me out, are you okay? Do you need to take a nap or have some coffee or...?" She tilted her head a bit, raising her eyebrows as she made a motion with her hands that said 'help me out here'. "Come on, what's up?"

Fitzroy shook his head. "No, no really I, uh, I'm fine. Just a little of the ol' sleep deprivation, eh? Haha. School, am I right?" He smiled feebly. Gods, there was no way she was going to believe him... Should he just tell Rainer the truth? She was his best friend afterall... That's something that best friends did, right? Talk about feelings? 

"You're lying. Something's up," Rainer accused. There was a gurgling sound on Fitzroy's other side as Snippers made his own input to the conversation. "See? Even Snips wants to know what's going on!" 

Fitzroy sighed dramactically, running his fingers through his hair. "Okay, okay, _finnnne_! But if I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?" 

Rainer leaned in a bit closer, her chair floating with her as she moved. "Promise!" she said with excitement. 

Fitzroy squinted at her in mock suspicion. He moved his hand quickly in between them, clenched into a fist. He stuck out his pinky finger in the most dramatic way possible. "Pinky promise?" 

Rainer's smile faded, her face now dead serious. "Pinky promise." She interlocked her own finger with Fitzroy's and they shook their pinkies, sealing the deal in the most ancient of unbreakable oaths. 

"Great." Fitzroy clasped his hands hands together, putting them to his mouth with a frown. "Hm... How do I..." Rainer looked like she about to explode under the sheer amount of anticipation. "Okay, okay... I uh... Think I... Like... _Someone_..."

Rainer was grinning from ear to ear now and her chair rose a bit higher in the air as she leaned towards Fitzroy, excitement practically bouncing off of her. "Ohhh tell me who, tell me who!" she squealed. Fitzroy shushed her and she closed her mouth, smiling still. Fitzroy glanced around nervously. The two of them were sitting in the dining hall, around brunch time. There weren't very many students hanging around, just a few others who were waiting for class. 

"I um..." Fitzroy took a deep breath. Why was it so hard to say, so hard to admit? _I have a crush on Argonaut Keene_. It was such a simple sentence, and there was nothing bad about it, but for some reason he couldn't say it. Not yet. He didn't know how he felt about the whole situation yet, how he felt about his _own_ feelings. He guessed that that's why it was so frightening. "I'm not sure I'm really at that um, stage, as per say." 

"I understand," Rainer said with a nod, all to Fitzroy's relief. Her chair lowered back down a little, returning to its normal height in the air. "I'm happy for you, Fitz. Do you think they might like you back?" 

Fitzroy stared at Rainer for bit, trying to think. _Did_ Argo like him back? No, no he couldn't. Right? He had seemed awfully eagered to go to the beach with him, but that was probably just because he missed the sea. It wasn't like it was a date or anything... Wait, was it? Was it a date?! No, Argo would have said something if it was, right? "I- I don't think so... I'm sure he would have mentioned it if he did."

Rainer grinned. "He, huh? That narrows it down," Fitzroy rolled his eyes and blushed just a bit. "But, I mean if you didn't mention it then why would he? You gotta tell him or else he'll never know, pal." Rainer shrugged, looking down at her empty cereal bowl. "If he never knows, then you'll never know, you know?" 

Fitzroy smiled slightly at his friend's alliteration. He sighed, laying one elbow on the table and cupping his face with his open palm. He picked at his now practically frozen omelet with his fork. "You're right I _guess_. It's just... Uncomfortable, I suppose?" He put his fork down, giving up on his brunch entirely. He just wasn't hungry anymore and he doubted that cold eggs would taste much better than hot ones.

Rainer nodded, glancing at the clock behind Fitzroy. Their next class, one of the only two they shared, wasn't going to start for another fifteen minutes. "I get that. You just got to have some confidence in yourself. You're great, Fitzroy, and you need to stop worrying that people might think you're not. And if they do..." Rainer smiled slyly as a skittering sound emitted from her chair drawers, followed by a small skeletal mouse crawling out of one of them and climbing onto her shoulder. Rainer scratched the mouse's head with one finger fondly. "I'll just curse them!" 

Fitzroy half smiled, half grimaced at Rainer's offer as her little undead friend stared at him with dark, empty eye sockets. "I would... rather you not. Uh, thank you for the offer though I suppose." 

The necromancer gave Fitzroy a tired look. "I was joking, Fitz." The creature on her shoulder crawled its way onto the brim of her hat, resting among the decorative flowers. "Mostly. Because, in all seriousness, if this person hurts you..." 

"No, no," Fitzroy put up his hands in defense. "He wouldn't! He's my- my friend." It still felt strange to refer to someone as such a thing, but he was starting to get used to it- comfortable with it, even. "He's... he's nice." Fitzroy felt his face grow red as he thought how how kind Argo had been to him; not in an uptight politeness sort of way but in the way of a friend who wanted him to be comfortable and happy. It was nice to know that someone thought of him that way. 

Rainer nodded, and Fitzroy could have sworn he saw her pet nod along with her. "Oh, I'm glad! It sucks when you end up liking someone who doesn't even know you exist..." Her gaze darted beyond Fitzroy for a split second, but then quickly returned back to him. "Liking your friend can be a bit difficult too, though. Especially when you don't know if they like you back." 

Snippers clinked his claws together and Fitzroy looked down to find the little thing nibbling on the remains of his omelet. He smiled in amusement, petting the top of his familiar's head as he continued to speak. "You're right, you're right. Its just sort of difficult, you know? How do you tell someone that, how do you ask someone that? What's a good time, a good situation to be so... so vulnerable. It seems like such a time will never come." 

With a shrug, Rainer reached upward, taking the mouse skeleton off of her hat and setting him on the table. "In all honesty, Fitz? I don't think that there ever is going to a _right_ time. There will be times that you might feel are right but the other person might not, and visa versa, ya know? So, really I think you should just do it whenever you want. Stop waiting for _the_ right moment and pick a _good_ moment, you know?" 

Fitzroy nodded slowly. "I- Thank you, Rainer. I appreciate it. I'm not very experienced in the whole, you know, feelings~ department." Rainer chuckled. "What, er, sort of situation so you think a um, good time would take place in..?"

"Well, I don't know that because I haven't met this mysterious mystery person!" Rainer exclaimed, almost exasperated. "I'm not some all-knowing being Fitzroy." She laughed at the notion of herself being such a thing. Fitzroy frowned grumpily. To be fair, he supposed he had been holding Rainer at a higher regard when it came to giving advice he should. "Just go off your gut, do whatever your heart tells you!"

Fitzroy rolled his eyes and Rainer elbowed him playfully. "Ugh, grosss." The two laughed together for a moment before Fitzroy smiled and took a deep breath. "Seriously, though? As for times to tell him they're a bit limited... We don't get a whole lot of alone time." His mind drifted back to yeterday, when Fitzroy had consoled Argo and promised to take him to the beach. 

"You could ask him to hang out over the break," Rainer suggested. Her skeleton was now making its way towards Snippers and the omelet. Fitzroy subconsciously wondered if undead rodents could eat food.

"I did. Sort of. We're going to the beach together," Fitzroy said, just a bit nervously. He had to be careful around this part, or it'd be too obvious that Argo was the one he liked. _Why was that a bad thing? Why can't Rainer just know?_ , he thought. Just because it felt weird to say it out loud didn't mean he couldn't let Rainer catch on...

Rainer raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? Well, there you go! Sounds like a good time to me! If, you're ready by then," she added. Now the little skeleton was sitting beside Snippers. The familiar took notice of the creature and clipped a piece off of the egg, "handing" it to his smaller friend. The mouse seemed to be grateful and nibbled on it contently, answering Fitzroy's previous wonderment. 

Fitzroy shrugged. "I dunno... I might, I guess," he sighed. That fear came back to him, the fear of being confused and messing everything up. He found himself chewing on his nails- a bad habit that he couldn't seem to shake. He usually wore gloves to stop this from happening, but since he was a villain now his white ones with golden trim didn't really fit his aesthetic. Embarrassed, he put his hands down and clasped them together. "I don't know, I just don't want to do something stupid, or make him uncomfortable." 

"That's good!" Rainer piped up, to Fitzroy's surprise. "I mean, you still need to work on the whole confidence thing but being aware of the other person is actually really awesome of you. See? I keep telling you, Fitz; you're a good guy." Rainer patted him on the shoulder in comfort. He didn't flinch or try to shake her off like he would have only months ago. He was getting more used to physical affection, and was even finding that he actually enjoyed it. 

"R- right, right," Fitzroy said, a bit awkwardly. Manners, manners... Should he thank her for her advice again or would that look naive or weak? Was he naive and weak for asking for advice in the first place, making Rainer solve his problems? Gods, he was just all over the place wasn't he? He should know how to take a compliment by now, but he'd gotten so used to the stiffness of Clyde Nite's Night Knight School and the dismissive tone of the staff here that any praise seemed almost alien. 

"Well!" Fitzroy turned back to Rainer to see her staring at him intently, her elbows resting on the armrest of her chair, cupping her curious face. "Do tell me how you managed to secure some quality time with this mystery~ person." She wiggled her pastel pink and lavender painted fingers at the word 'mystery'.

Fitzroy laughed and grinned devilishly. He had come up with a dastardly plan. "Tell you what. I'll tell you who the mystery man is and you stop possessing the deceased bodies of tiny creatures!" Rainer pouted and Fitzroy felt just a teensy bit bad for subjecting her to such an evil deal. "Until the break ends," he reluctantly added. 

Rainer rolled her eyes and punched Fitzroy in the arm, a bit harder than the last but still playful nonetheless. "No, you dumby! I'm not going to give up my form of magic! Besides, I already know who he is, I'm just trying to play along with you here!" 

Fitzroy gasped dramatically. "You do?!" He groaned, dragging his hands across his face.. He hadn't even _begun_ to hint towards who it was and she _still_ had him all figured out! "Am I really that obvious?" he asked, peeking through his fingers. 

"He? The beach? The way you guys talk to each other and those interactions in the notebooks? You're no rogue, Sir Fitzroy Maplecourt, that's for sure- because secrecy seems to allude you."

\---

Argo enjoyed the interactions that he had with the Firbolg, even when the Firbolg was tricking him into eating bark or when Argo was trying to painstakingly explain capitalism (a touchy subject, to say the least) to him. There was always something interesting about their conversations, a feeling of some deeper philosophical meaning to each drawn-out word. In fact, interesting was a good way to describe the Firbolg as a whole. 

Now the two of them sat in the new room they shared - which was bigger than the last but still smaller than Fitzroy's one person room. Argo was practicing his newest hobby- drawing. On the sea, he wasn't able to get his hands on writing utensils or even paper, which were both precious resources used only for mapping and messaging allies. But, Argo knew that he liked similar ways of passing the time, like sewing and making up songs. So, he had decided to try and get better at it, maybe even make a couple pieces that he could use to decorate the room. The Firbolg seemed to like Argo's drawings, wether Argo himself liked them or not.

"Firby!" Argo addressed his friend as he finished his newest piece. "Look, its us!" Argo held up the parchment, showing it to the Firbolg. The picture was of three almost stick figures, with some details and clothes drawn over them. The figures resembled the Thundermen, even if vaguely. 

"This." The Firbolg took the picture in his big grayish-green hands. "Is a great pride." Argo smiled up at his roommate. He talked so straight to the point, unlike so many other people who peppered their speech with flamboyant vocabulary and vivid descriptions. There was nothing wrong with the way those people spoke, but was comforting, in a way, to return to simplicity.

"Thank you, my firbolg friend!" Argo pointed towards the tallest figure's long curly hair. "Look, I gave you some of those little flowers in yer hair!" The Firbolg touched one of the pink flowers strewn throughout his wild brown hair, and then ran a finger along the similar figure on the paper. 

"Art. It imitates life, yes?" He seemed to be genuinely asking Argo, not just making a statement. Argo nodded and reassured him and the Firbolg appeared to be quite pleased with himself. They stood in silence for a moment, both appreciating Argo's work. Argo himself was actually quite proud of it. He had even gotten Fitzroy pretty close, even though he didn't have a reference of him while he was drawing. Fitzroy...

"Ah! That reminds me!" Argo piped up, startling the Firbolg a bit. Argo turned towards his friend and he lowered the drawing a bit. "I've been meaning to tell you! Fitzroy and I are going to go down to the beach for a little while the day after our mission. I'm assuming you don't want to come, with the whole anti-forest deal?"

The Firbolg nodded slowly. "Yes." Argo waited patiently for him to start talking again. Sometimes it was hard for him to know when the Firbolg had finished his statement. Argo was a chatty person and he had a lot to say, causing him to tend to be a bit too quick to speak and accidentally interrupt his roommate. "I do not wish to go to the... beach." 

Argo patted the Firbolg on his back reassuringly. "That's alright, friend. You'll be okay here alone? I mean, you'll have Rainer and Buck with you! And Leon, if he gets back from... well, wherever he is." It felt strange and a bit cruel, but Argo was actually happy that the Firbolg was staying behind. He and the Firbolg got a lot of time alone together since they had similar schedules. And on the other hand, ever since he had moved to the villain track, Fitzroy hadn't been able to hang out with Argo just the two of them very much at all. Argo was actually looking forward to going to the beach! Of course, he was a bit nervous as well with thoughts of the Unbroken Chain's demands in the back of his mind...

"I vill be fine." The Firbolg stated. He stretched out his hand, giving Argo his drawing back. Argo took the drawing from him and began to turn around to put it in the drawer near his bed. "What do you make of him... Fitz-roy." He drew out the syllables as he said Fitzroy's name. 

Argo slipped the piece of paper into the drawer and sat on his bed, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed behind his head. "Fitzroy?" Argo thought about what to say for a moment. There were a lot of things that he thought about Fitzroy. "I think he's sweet. Under all the loudness and the arrogance," he added, chuckling a bit. "I get the sense that he's really trying to be a good friend, he just hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet." 

The Firbolg nodded slowly. "Yes... This is true. He isssss..." He searched for the right word as he continued to draw out 'is'. "complicated indi-vid-u-al." Argo nodded at his friend's slice of wisdom. The Firbolg began to shamble over towards his own pile of leaves and dirt where he slept. 

"Yes, yes," Argo agreed. "Complicated is a good word to describe him. He's a, a nice-once-you-get-to-know-him sort of guy." Argo looked at the Firbolg, tilting his head to the side a bit, eyebrows raised. "Why do you ask?" 

The Firbolg sat in silence for a moment, and Argo's long claws tapped against the wall as he waited patiently. "He talks of you." 

Argo unfolded his arms and sat upright, adjusting his position on his bed so he faced the Firbolg's corner. "Well, uh, what does he say?" Argo laughed, a bit nervously. Usually he didn't care what people thought of him, but for some reason he wanted Fitzroy to like him, at least a little bit. 

The Firbolg picked up a rock in the corner of the room and sat it upright in the dirt. "There is... different things he says. At times, he complains. At others, he seems to be... fond of you." He searched for another stone in his 'bed' then came up with a smaller one. He placed it next to the other stone in a similar fashion, then looked back up at Argo. 

The genasi put his hand to his mustache, stroking it softly as he thought. "Ah. Yes, I suppose that's what I had expected." He paused for a moment, taking in the Firbolg's words. "He's fond of me, did you say?" 

The Firbolg grunted and slowly nodded. "I said this, yes. When... you are away, he is worried that you have found a new friend." A third rock was stacked beside the others, becoming the smallest of the bunch. "I tell him that you are a friend, to not worry. He does not listen. He is... jeal-ous?" 

There was an uneasy feeling in Argo's stomach. He had forgotten that Fitzroy was starting to notice that he left at night... It certainly made things more difficult. He'd have to come up with an excuse later. "Jealous? Of what, me making some other pals?" Was Fitzroy just curious about Argo's whereabouts or did he suspect that Argo might be up to something? Was this 'friend' he was jealous of referring to Jackal? How much did he know? 

The Firbolg shrugged, putting his hands in his lap and he looked at the three upright stones in front of him, each smaller than the last. "Or more than this," he spoke slowly. The Firbolg picked at the leaves underneath him, searching for the right one to decorate his little figures with. 

"More than... Like a boyfriend?" Argo chuckled at the thought of Fitzroy being concerned about such a thing. "Why would _he_ care?" 

The Firbolg looked up at Argo from his pile of leaves. "You..." He stopped, seemingly rethinking his statement. He tilted his head in curiosity, causing one of his dark eyes to appear from underneath his unkept hair. "The two of you... You are the 'boy-friends', are you not?"

Argo was at a loss for words. "I- You mean boyfriends like in a romantic sense not just, uh, friends-who-are-boys?" The Firbolg nodded. "Oh." Argo paused. It had never occurred to him that Fitzroy and he came off as a couple. He supposed that their playful and teasing banter could be seen as flirting and Fitzroy's protective nature could be seen as him really caring about Argo. Did Fitzroy see it like that? Was Argo unintentionally leading him on? Wait... Argo's eyes widened at the realization. Did _he_ see Fitzroy that way? 

Argo wasn't one to try and interpret his emotions. He didn't really see it necessary to try to put labels on that sort of thing. The idea of doing such a thing was... Constricting. He simply felt what he felt and moved on. But when he thought about it... Argo supposed he did like Fitzroy. He liked him a lot, actually more than a friend. Fitzroy made him laugh and with him Argo felt appreciated and cared for. And he wanted Fitzroy to feel the same way around him. 

"No," Argo finally answered. "We're, uh, not." He resisted the urge to add 'yet'. He wasn't even sure that Fitzroy liked him back, after all. He'd have to ask him later. Maybe he could bring it up at the beach, if he felt like it was a good time to. 

The Firbolg grunted and picked up a leaf that was starting to turn brown. He placed it in front of the stones and nodded, pleased with his work. "So this time at the beach... It is not the da-te, no?"

Argo shook his head. "Nah. He didn't say it was, so it isn't. Not that- Not that I would mind if it was... " He trailed off. Surely, if Fitzroy thought it was a date he would have said something? Was it a date? Maybe he should just ask. Would that be awkward? Argo was used to forwardness in relationships, but he didn't know if Fitzroy was. Ugh, why were these things so difficult and complicated? Couldn't he just confess his feelings with worrying about all this crap? 

"I see." The Firbolg yawned loudly. "I vill now sleep. We are to go on the mission tomorrow, yes?" Argo nodded. To be perfectly honest, he had almost forgotten about their assignment. He was looking forward to his beach maybe-date much more, afterall. "Well, good luck to us, then, hm?" The Firbolg said with a chuckle.

Argo grinned. "Yes! Good luck to us, indeed!" he shouted triumphantly. 

Meanwhile, a half-elf giggled to himself in his own room, connected to the one shared by the two henchpersons (henchpeople?). He had only heard the last two statements of this conversation, but it was enough to bring a smile to his face. It was funny... Fitzroy hasn't expected to have moments of happiness like this while at this school, and yet here he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Half-way through! The next part is gonna be long because it's finally time for their day at the beach, so it'll take a bit longer to write. I'm very excited to start working on it. Anwyay, thanks for stopping by! See you soon!


	3. We Were Playing In the Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fitzroy finally takes Argo on that beach date he promised him. Wait no, no it's not a date! Totally, totally not a date... haha... ha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place after Mission Imp Hospital (episode 8 &9) and before Dark Arts and Crafts (episode 10)

Despite a million pep talks from Rainer, Fitzroy was still nervous about today. The jitters he had gotten from the day before yesterday didn't help either. The mission hadn't gone quite as well as Fitzroy would've liked it too... He had to practically beg Argo to stay in bed to recover fully, which postponed their trip. Fitzroy had proposed that they wait a couple more days, but Argo had been persistent. They were lucky that those medical supplies had been sitting around or...

Fitzroy shook his head. He shouldn't let himself think about such things. It hurt too much. Time had slowed in that moment when Argo had crumpled to the ground. Fitzroy could still feel the breath being knocked out of him, the sting of the chains lashing against his arm as he rushed over towards Argo, desperately... 

"Oh!" Fitzroy perked up at the sound of a familiar voice. He grinned at Argo's look of awe. He was wearing a striped tank-top and a black bandana around his neck that matched the belt around his waist. Argo's hair, usually tied haphazardly into a ponytail, was seemingly braided. How he got the watery substance to do that was beyond Fitzroy, but it looked amazing. The knight found himself staring and he grew a bit flushed.

"Is _that_ what we're taking to the beach?!" Fitzroy looked behind himself, at the thing that Argo was so transfixed on. It was the horse-drawn carriage that Fitzroy had rented for them. It wasn't very big but it was definitely a bit on the fancier side, decorated with white lace and golden accents. An older, stoic man manned the reigns of the single white horse pulling the vehicle. Fitzroy supposed it was a little "extra" but that's just how he liked it. And judging from Argo's reaction, he had chosen correctly. 

The half-elf smiled proudly. "Yep! It's not the best, but its what was available on such sort notice..." 

Argo stepped up to the carriage, running one semi-webbed hand over the pale wood. He looked at Fitzroy in disbelief. "Are you kidding? This is _awesome_!" He laughed, his long, black-painted claws lightly tracing the golden streaks in the decoration. Fitzroy had noticed that Argo had an appreciation for art and other types of craftsmanship. He supposed it came from his own interests in that sort of thing. Argo was constantly making things, whether it be clothes out of curtains or original songs or portraits of his friends. Fitzroy found his creativity to be enchanting. 

"It _is_ pretty nice," Fitzroy preened. Argo rolled his eyes, but his smile told a different story. Fitzroy reached for the handle of the carriage, opening the door to reveal the cushioned interior. He did a little bow, just for fun. "Your ride awaits, my friend."

Argo giggled and did a clumsy curtsy in response. "Oh, why thank you Sir Applesauce," he teased, stepping into the carriage. Fitzroy noticed that he carried a large, white woven bag at his side and silently wondered what it held. He shrugged and headed towards the other side of the carriage. Fitzroy climbed inside and told the driver that they were ready. 

As they began to pull away, Fitzroy looked back towards Argo. The genasi's braided hair was caught in the sunlight as he looked out the window, casting shadows of ripples throughout the carriage. Excitement was spread across his face as his claws tapped against his thigh in anticipation. His freckle-like scales glittered like stars across his handsome face. Fitzroy was staring again. How could he not? Argo was marvelously stunning. 

"What?" Fitzroy blushed as his crush caught him red-handed. Argo looked at him with an expression of plain curiosity but his eyes glimmered with something else, a different type of intrigue. 

Fitzroy's first reaction was to defend himself, to simply say "nothing" and move on. But... He didn't want to, because that would be lying. It wasn't nothing. "I... It's nothing," he smiled, and suddenly his anxiety gave way to a warm sort of calm. "You just look very pretty today." 

To Fitzroy's surprise, Argo didn't laugh or tease him. He just smiled back joyfully and said, "Thank you, Fitzroy. And you look very handsome too." Fitzroy smiled and turned away to look out the window so that Argo couldn't see him turn an even brighter shade of pink.

Although it seemed strange, the two of them rode in silence for the most part. It wasn't an awkward, "I-don't-know-what-to-talk-about" sort of silence. It was more of a serene silence, a mutual agreement to be quiet and just enjoy the moment. 

As Fitzroy looked out his window, through the trees he saw a rocky patch where the ground dropped down a bit. However, this wasn't true in the slightest. The God's Scar Chasm was the deepest known land canyon, and any travelling folk who were none the wiser could very well meet an untimely death by underestimating the drop. Fitzroy shuddered just thinking about it. Why a _school_ of all things had been built so close to it was beyond him. _"This school has more ulterior motives than you could count,"_ Higglemas had said. But surely, the location of the school didn't matter, did it? Why would anyone need to have access to a canyon? It was just a glorified ditch, as Fitzroy saw it.

Suddenly, the carriage lurched as they went over something, and with Fitzroy's current mindset he feared for his life for a split second. His arm reached out to steady himself, grabbing onto to Argo's shoulder in order to not fall forward. Argo grabbed his other hand as he flailed around, in an attempt to keep him still.

"Sorry!" The driver called out briskly. "Nothing but a bump in the road!" 

"Its alright!" Argo called back. He looked at Fitzroy with a calm but concerned expression. "You alright there, Fitz?" Fitzroy looked down at Argo's hand still clasping his own, then to his other hand on Argo's shoulder. The closeness of their faces made his heart pound. He had never noticed before, but Argo's big hazel eyes were slit like a cat's. His stupidly cute mustache was the same weird texture as his hair and Fitzroy wondered what it felt like. He wanted to lean in, to close the gap between them and kiss him. 

No. No, that'd be too abrupt, too rash. There were still so many questions he still had about the situation. He didn't want to shock Argo or even worse he didn't want to do anything that Argo didn't want. Fitzroy didn't just want to kiss Argo, he wanted Argo to kiss him back. He wanted Argo to love him too. 

Fitzroy nodded, letting his hand slide off of Argo's shoulder as he moved away. "Yes, I'm good," he said, pulling the hand that had been holding Argo's to his chest. "Just a bit jittery I suppose." The genasi nodded and Fitzroy realized that Argo had grabbed the hand he had been pulling away from his shoulder. He looked back towards Argo, who was simply smiling at him. Their clasped hands lay down on the cushion in between them. Fitzroy turned to look out the window again, a sheepish smile spread across his face at the touch. 

\---

The first sign that they were getting closer to the beach was the smell. Argo inhaled the cold salty air and was filled with nostalgia. He had been so homesick, and most of the time he hadn't even realized it, passing off his anxiety for simply stress over school. Gods, it felt great to be back where he belonged. And now he had Fitzroy with him too, someone he could show his favorite place to. 

Argo practically yanked his companion out of the carriage once they stopped. He was just so excited! He wanted to splash around and swim and show Fitzroy how to build the best sandcastles and where to find the best shells! "Come on, come on!" He shouted, jumping up and down as he pulled Fitzroy towards the crashing sounds of the waves.

"Ok, ok, ok!" Fitzroy laughed. He slowed, fiddling around in the pockets of his pants. "I've just got to pay the driver and tell him when to pick us up... When should that be?" The half-elf was now fully stopped, counting silver pieces in his palm tediously. 

Argo groaned and rolled his eyes. "I dunno, like after the day is over! Hurry up!" 

Fitzroy glared at him. "I'm _going_ as fast as I can!" he remarked, heading over towards the front of the carriage to talk to the old man. "I'll be there in a minute!"

Argo turned around, taking in the world before him. It was a surprisingly sunny, warm day for winter and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The dirt road that they were on led down to the seaside, where the soft tan sand lay untouched. He couldn't see anyone else on the beach, except for a few seagulls who flew over the sea. Iridescent blue waves crashed onto the shore in a rhythm that Argo knew so well.

Fitzroy came back and he opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Argo, who blurted out "Last one there's a dead herring!" and tore down the pathway. The water genasi could hear his friend's protests behind him, complaining of the unfairness of their situation. But Argo didn't care. He was already running down the hill, shrieking with laughter as he aimed at the waves. 

"WAIT!" Argo skidded to a halt and looked back at Fitzroy, who as running after him. He felt kind of bad for leaving him behind, if only for a little bit. This day wasn't just Argo's; it was their's to enjoy together. 

"What?" Argo asked him. Fitzroy came to a stop next to him, his breath quick from running. 

"Take off-" Fitzroy paused, seemingly rethinking the phrasing of his sentence. "Your bag is going to get wet and so are all your clothes if you just run right in." 

Argo looked down at his outfit. "Oh. Oh, yeah. Whoops." He took off the white bag and set it by a rock for safe keeping. He decided he didn't really care about his shirt or his pants getting wet. His leather belt, (which wasn't actually of any use but rather a fashion statement), his bandana and his boots all had to go, though. 

"What do you have in there, anyway?" Fitzroy asked, gesturing towards the bag. He sat on the rock, watching as Argo unlaced his left boot. 

Argo finished with his shoes and buried his feet in the soft, warm sand with a smile. He reached over and grabbed the bag, looking through its contents. "Snacks, a towel, some fresh water, sandcastle supplies, and..." Argo stood up as he pulled a baby blue blanket out and laid it down perfectly on the sand. "This!" 

Fitzroy stood up and inspected the blanket. "Huh. It's like a picnic, but sand-ier," he commented, sitting cross-legged on the blue fabric. He looked around, seemingly searching for something that wasn't there. "Ah. I know what this needs." Argo watched, transfixed on Fitzroy as he began to glow a bit. A little white sphere of light floated upward from his palm and began to form a familiar shape. 

Fitzroy caught Snippers as he popped into existence. He was clearly proud to have used his magic properly, instead of blowing something up or accidentally teleporting into the ocean. "There you are," Fitzroy said as Snippers gurgled contently. He set the little crab down on the blanket beside him. 

Argo, who was still standing, looked down at Fitzroy. "That little magic-crab-summoning spell you got there sure is neat. Makes me wish I could do more than just make a little rain." He chuckled to himself. Having spells would be cool, but all that memorization and long hours of studying... Yuck, no thanks. 

"Yeah. I guess magic is pretty... _neat_. But, also scary, of course." Fitzroy shrugged as he pet Snippers on the head. Argo noticed his other hand reaching for his bag, most likely aiming to steal the snacks. Argo didn't mind. He'd brought them for the both of them, after all. 

Argo tilted his head. Why did Fitzroy think his magic was frightening? To be truthful, once the members of The Unbroken Chain had brought it up, Argo himself had grown curious about Fitzroy's abilites. And pretty much Fitzroy in general. He wanted to ask about it, but the sounds of the waves crashing into the shore were practically torture now. He just wanted to run over to the sea, towards his home. This conversation was great, but it had been going on for way too long. 

Fitzroy seemed to notice Argo's anticipation and he chuckled. "You can go, Argo. I'm not trying to stop you. We can talk later," he said. The water genasi gave him a grateful smile. 

"Thanks," Argo said. "Are you coming with?" Argo hadn't just came to try to combat his homesickness; he wanted to hang out with Fitzroy, too. 

The knight shook his head, his silver earrings swaying back and forth with the motion. "No, I, uh, think I'm going to sit out on this one... I dunno, something about the whole 'this place is thousands of feet deep and vastly unexplored and houses millions of creatures', is kinda freaky to me." 

Argo shrugged. He supposed that there were other ways to enjoy the beach besides swimming around and he didn't want to pressure Fitzroy into doing something he didn't want to, even if Argo knew his fears were irrational. "Suit yourself," he said, beginning to walk away. As he did, something made him stop. He turned back towards Fitzroy. "I'll be back in just a minute," he added, before running into the surf.

\--- 

Fitzroy didn't know how long Argo was going to be gone, but hopefully it was long enough to build the best sandcastle this world had ever seen. It would be two stories tall and have a moat and long towers with a slide that Snippers could go down and- Dangit, sand, stay upward! Ok, so maybe Fitzroy had no idea what he was doing. Maybe he didn't know the exact amount of water and sand he needed to make everything sit upright, or how to chip the sand so it made a cool pattern or how to get the sand out of the bucket because it kept getting stuck, WHY WAS IT STUCK?!

Fitzroy took a deep breath, setting down the shovel that he'd been banging against the top of the pail. He was _not_ going to go into a rage because of this. Was it frustrating and confusing and hard? Yes. Was he still having a bit of fun with it? Admittedly, yes. The idea of trying to make a really cool sandcastle to impress Argo... Gods, it was so dumb but so much fun. 

"What am I doing?" Fitzroy laughed as he looked at the little red stick planted by his side. His clothes were all dirty from shuffling around in the sand and he probably had messed up his hair too. He felt like an idiot, and he knew he looked like one, but... That felt good, for some reason? It felt good to relax, to do something silly and stupid without having to worry about what other people would think of him for it. Maybe... Maybe that was one of the reasons he liked Argo so much. Argo didn't care about Fitzroy's image, whether he was cool and proper or not. Argo just cared about Fitzroy, the _real_ Fitzroy. The Fitzroy who tried to impress his crush with poorly made sandcastles.

"Snippers!" The little crab stood attention at Fitzroy's voice, like a solider waiting for commands. "Take this bucket and fill it with some water and _don't_ let Argo see you. The not-seeing part is very crucial, this is a stealth mission." The half-elf handed his familiar the pail and Snippers nodded (or, at least did the crab equivalent of trying to nod) as he took it in one claw and hurried towards the ocean. 

Meanwhile, Fitzroy kept lookout, making sure that Snippers didn't wander anywhere near Argo. Wait, where was Argo? He squinted, trying to spot him in the rolling waves. For a split second, he was worried that maybe Argo had gotten in trouble, maybe he was stuck under the water and oh no, no, no- Then he remembered that Argo was a water genasi and he could practically _live_ underwater if he wanted. 

"Stop worrying so much!" Fitzroy whispered, quietly chastising himself. He certainly had become more anxious with all that had happened recently, and he wasn't sure how to deal with that. Fitzroy shook his head and looked back up to see Argo's head poke above the water. He had gone much further than Fitzroy had realized, and he probably wouldn't have been able to see him if the glint of Argo's earring hadn't caught his eye. Then, his friend's head ducked back underwater as he disappeared. 

There was a scuttling sound as Snippers came back with the water. Fitzroy thanked his familiar, giving him some pretzel crumbs from his pocket as a reward. 

"Gnlkghjlk," Snippers said gratefully. 

"No problem-o," Fitzroy replied, giving him a thumbs up. Snippers raised a claw in return and Fitzroy laughed. He began to scoop up clumps of sand with the shovel, stirring it into the water as he went. He dumped the mixture upside down, waiting for it to settle. "Come on, come on," Fitzroy said, slowly lifting the lid. Snippers gurgled encouragely and Fitzroy finished picking up the pail. 

The little mound of dirt was lop-sided, but sturdy. "YES!" Fitzroy exclaimed, doing a fist-pump in the air. "We did it!" He held up his hand towards his familiar. "Uh- high... claw." Snippers clinked his little claw against Fitzroy's palm. Satisfied, the knight gave the crab the bucket back and instructed him to go get more water. 

Again, Fitzroy decided to look for Argo. It was less out of concern for Snippers being caught, and now more out of curiosity. But, just like the last time, he couldn't find him. Then, a long ways down the shore he saw an arm fly out of the water. Fitzroy tilted his head, squinting at Argo, trying to figure out why he was flailing around. Worries started to gather in his head again as he tried to see the expression on his face. 

"Oh," Fitzroy said aloud to himself. "Ha, I'm an idiot." He waved back towards Argo and the Argo smiled and went back down. Fitzroy leaned against the rock, staring at the one tower he had created.

"What am I going to say to him? I can't just keep quiet, that feels like lying. But, how would I say it. Like 'I think you're really cute'? No, that sounds creepy. How about, 'I've been meaning to tell you...' No, no, that's kind of awkward and makes it seem like I was trying to hide it... Am I trying to hide it?" Fitzroy frowned with a loud sigh. "Gods, the crab is one thing but now I'm talking to a lump of dirt."

Right on cue, there was a gurgle behind Fitzroy as Snippers returned, the filled bucket in tow. The familiar set the bucket down and placed one claw on Fitzroy's leg in reassurance. 

"Thanks, buddy," the half-elf said as he pat his friend on the head. It was strange to know that when he first was given Snippers he was dissatisfied and annoyed. But Festo was right about one thing; Snippers did bring Fitzroy some comfort.

Fitzroy successfully made another tower, this one a bit less lopsided than the last. He grinned in triumph and handed the bucket back to Snippers, who dutifully went to get more water.

With a deep breath, Fitzroy turned back to his two towers, determined to figure this out. "Ok, if I just said something like, 'You're really important to me and I want you to know-"

"Are you building a-" Argo was interrupted by Fitzroy's shriek as he spun around and fell down on one elbow with the momentum, crushing one of the towers in the process. "Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry to have scared ya, Fitz. Ah, dammit, I made you crush of yer towers there!" Argo outstretched his hand to help Fitzroy up, and he took it tentatively. 

"It's alright." Fitzroy said as Argo hoisted him up. He was surprisingly strong for someone with his frame, with wide shoulders but skinny arms. "It really wasn't anything special." Fitzroy took a step back from Argo, but let him continue to hold his hand.

Argo tilted his head, something that Fitzroy had noticed he did whenever he was confused. It was quite cute. "Why'd you build one without me? I was going to show you some of me tips!" 

"I- I wasn't building it _without_ you," Fitzroy reasoned. He could feel his face growing a bit red. The irrational fears returned to him. Its not that he didn't trust Argo (at least emotionally) because he knew that he would never make him feel bad for trying to be nice. But he had built up this wall of fear, this sense that cheesy meant stupid and emotional meant weak, and those walls were so hard to knock down. So Fitzroy latched onto the thought that Argo was different. He was special and new and kind. "I was building it _for_ you." Despite his efforts, he just couldn't look Argo in the eyes as he said it.

"Awww Fitzroy!" The half-elf looked back towards Argo, his heart skipping a beat at his look of joy and fondness. "That's so cute! Gosh, I guess I ruined the surprise _and_ the castle, didn't I... " He trailed off, looking disappointed in himself.

"No, no!" Fitzroy exclaimed quickly. "Its alright, really. Well, I kinda did work pretty hard on them... But uh, now you can help me finish and show me those tricks!" Argo seemed to like this idea, which was a great relief to Fitzroy, who was new to the whole "comforting people when they're sad" thing. 

There was an impatient gurgling sound as Fitzroy felt something tap against his shoe. Snippers, who had been there for who knows how long, was waiting for Fitzroy to recognize his work. Argo chuckled as he sat down next to the two towers, one destroyed and the other intact. He riffled through his bag and pulled out a long strip of fish jerky and handed it to Fitzroy. 

"Well, the first step to any activity is not to do it with an empty stomach," he joked as Fitzroy eagerly took the snack from him.

\---

Snippers stood guard of their castle as Fitzroy and Argo went for a walk on the shore. Argo wasn't sure how familiars worked, if they disappeared if you weren't in range or if they just stayed there. But Fitzroy didn't seem too concerned, so he guessed that it wasn't issue. Fitzroy had been worried about seagull invaders, however, so he had nominated his familiar as a "temporary knight" and told him to fend off any foul fowl that tried to knock down their sandcastle. Argo found the whole thing to be quite endearing.

Now the two of them walked along the surf. Argo's hair had come out of its braid, despite his best efforts, and was floating in the wind as per usual. Fitzroy himself looked more disheveled after having messed around in the sand for a good hour or so. His dark, fluffy cloak had specs of sand in it and his sleek knee-high boots must have been filled with the stuff. Argo had expected him to complain about it but Fitzroy didn't seem annoyed. He just seemed... happy. And Argo felt the same. 

As they walked, Fitzroy told Argo about the changes of the villain track, of his new classes and the differences from his time at the knight school. Argo nodded as he went. Being a villain, or a hero, or whatever seemed to be more rewarding than being a sidekick, from what he could tell. The bigger room, the more forgiving classes, the heftier pay... It was like a VIP treatment. 

Eventually, they fell into a silence as Fitzroy ran out of things to brag about. The villain turned his attention to the sea, watching the waves appear and disappear among the blue waters. The sun, which had begun to sink in the sky, lit the golden frames of his glasses and highlighted his face beautifully. As Argo looked at him fondly a song that he had once heard came to mind. 

It was a little melody about two distant lovers, one off at sea and the other waiting for their return. He didn't remember when he'd first heard it, as it was a fairly common song, sung in a variety of different moods based on the situation. If someone was sad then they'd sing it slowly with drawn out words focusing on the missing aspect. But if it was sung at a jovial dance in a tavern then it was quick and light-heartened, focusing on the anticipation of seeing their beloved again. And then there was Argo's favorite way of singing it, the one that was slow and quiet but eventually speed up, the one that focused on the connection between the lovers; the one that came to mind while he stared at Fitzroy.

Argo found himself humming the tune subconsciously. Fitzroy looked at him with intrigue. 

"What song is that?" he asked, his pace still steady. "I've never heard it before." 

Argo shrugged. "Oh, you know, just a little seafarer's melody. We used to sing all sorts of songs while out on the sea, just to pass the time. I guess it's becomes a hobby of mine, if you could call it that."

Fitzroy smiled at Argo. "Yes, I've noticed. Did you know you actually sing in your sleep a bit? I mean, not like the full song just, like, little parts of it."

Argo laughed self-consciously. "Really? Yeah, that's an old habit that I had a while ago. Ma shipmates used to make fun of me for it, but I stopped for some reason. I wonder why it's come back... Er, sorry if it's been kinda annoying. " He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. 

"No, it's... chill. I don't need complete silence to meditate, and I actually prefer the background noise. Besides, you're really good at it." Fitzroy's eyes darted away and he cleared his throat. "What, uh- What's the song about."

"It's a duet," Argo explained. "But it can be sung by one person easily. It's about this sailor and this person he's in love with who's on land and how they miss eachother." 

Fitzroy stopped walking, his gaze still stuck on the ocean. "That's cool..." He looked back towards Argo, his dark brown eyes shining. "How does it go?" Argo felt Fitzroy's hand slip into his own and his breath caught in his throat for a moment. 

"Well," Argo took a deep breath he began to sing the slow tune. 

_"As I look over the sea  
My heart soars somewhere new  
Further and further away from me  
To what I know is true. "_

As he sang quietly, the two of them began to sway. Argo was holding both of Fitzroy's hands now and when he stepped forward, Argo stepped back. They fell into a clumsy sort of waltz, with Argo in the leading him through the sand.

_"So may you hear me sing  
Amid the deepest blue  
For love's a wild thing  
When it comes to missing you"_

Now the two of them were spinning slowly, their different styles mixing together better than expected. Fitzroy's steps were precise yet hesitant, whereas Argo's were more clumsy and sure. Despite this, the two complimented one another nicely, making for a light-hearted, relaxed sort of dance. 

_"As I look into the sky  
My mind wanders farther away  
Then hardest part was goodbye  
That's what they all say_

_So may you hear me sing  
Amid the deepest blue  
For love's a wild thing  
When it comes to missing you"_

They twirled in the sand together as the tempo began to pick up. Fitzroy even let Argo spin him around, and from the look he gave him, Fitzroy was having fun with it. Argo grinned and continued the song, starting to get louder and faster as he went. 

_"But when we see each other someday  
When we meet again despite the fray  
I will hold you in my arms  
Laugh at all your witty charms  
And say 'I love you' once more"_

The pair were practically prancing around the beach, Fitzroy laughing as Argo smiled joyfully. They spun around wildly and the momentum whould have pulled them apart if it had not been for their clasped hands. 

_"So I know you hear me sing  
Amid the deepest blue  
For life's a wonderful thing  
When it comes to loving..."_

As they spun, Argo slowed down, pulling them close to together again. He adjusted his hands, holding onto to Fitzroy's back instead as he let him fall to the side. Argo caught him in a dip as he breathed the last word of the song. 

_"you."_

Fitzroy stared up at Argo, an expression of amazement and something else spread across his face. Argo stared back, out of breath from singing and dancing at the same time. He watched as Fitzroy's face relaxed and felt his grip tighten on his shoulder as he leaned closer to Argo. Argo began to close his own eyes, but suddenly Fitzroy lurched away. Argo steadied him and stood, leaving both of them further away from eachother and upright as well as flustered and out of breath. 

"I, um," Fitzroy cleared his throat awkardly. "I should go check on Snippers." With that, he turned away and started to head back towards the blanket. Argo watched him go, wondering what he did wrong and how he could fix it.

\---

Rainer had warned Fitzroy that if he kept waiting for a perfect moment, he'd ruin his shot. And that seemed to be just what he'd done. He had a chance, and he blew it. He was furious with himself, to be honest. Why was this so hard for him to do? Fitzroy could have just leaned closer, he could have just kissed Argo and told him how he felt and it could have been _that_ simple!

But, no. No, something wasn't right. Fitzroy had a nagging feeling that he was forgetting something, something important. He tried to search his memory, but all he found was a flood of worries, paranoia and anxiety mixed into a murky fog that clouded his mind. There were so many things that were happening, and he just couldn't deal with this right now. With becoming a villain, Hieronymous' warnings, the chain devil, Buckminster's state and Leon- 

Oh, gods, _Leon_. Fitzroy sat down on the blanket and grabbed at the cloth in an attempt to ground himself, but he was already spiraling out of control. He covered his mouth with one hand. What was he supposed to do, what _could_ he do? Would other people start going missing? It was only a matter of time until the same thing that happened to Buckminster happened to him. He didn't want that, he didn't want someone controlling his thoughts but he did want his thoughts to go away, he wanted everything to just _go away_. 

"Fitzroy." The knight looked up suddenly, saved from the fog by the sound of Argo's voice. The water genasi sat next to him, his eyes avoiding Fitzroy's own. Fitzroy realized what he'd done, how awful he must have made Argo feel and that made him feel even worse. 

"Fitzroy, I am _so_ sorry, I-" 

"Don't." Argo flinched at the sharpness in Fitzroy's voice, which made Fitzroy feel terrible. He hadn't meant for it to come out like that. He took a deep breath and started over. "Argo, I'm trying to figure out a lot of stuff right now. So, its just... its just not a good time. It's not you who's being weird, its me. You didn't do anything wrong, I actually did enjoy dancing with you- every bit of it, but..." He trailed off, hoping that he had said enough without saying everything. 

Argo listened intently, giving a slow nod every now and then. When Fitzroy finished, Argo reached out his hand to put on his shoulder but stopped midair, pulling back away. "Fitz, you're not _weird_ for needing some time. I don't know what you're going through right now, but whatever it is, its completely fine for you to take some time to figure it out. I understand what its like to feel overwhelmed." He inhaled deeply, shaking a bit. "When... When my mum died, she didn't leave much behind. Suddenly, I had to figure out how to survive on my own and how to make enough coin to do so and how to plan ahead for tomorrow; all while trying to grieve. All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry until it was all over, but I couldn't, I had to keep going because that's what she would have wanted for me. It felt like waking up to a storm overhead and suddenly all the waves of the world were coming crashing down on ya."

Fitzroy stared at his friend, dumbstruck. "Argo... Argo, I had no idea. Gods, I'm so sorry..." Cautiously, he moved forward, wanting to comfort him. 

Argo quickly wiped away the tears that had been gathering in his eyes. "No, it's fine. Don't worry about me, please. This isn't about me, it's about you, how you feel-"

"But how you feel matters just as much," Fitzroy reasoned. It seemed so obvious to him, that Argo should care about himself too. "You know that, right?" He brushed a hand against Argo's face, giving him a concerned look.

The sailor shrugged and he frowned. "Oh, _Argo..._ " Fitzroy said woefully. He pulled him a hug, not only surprising Argo but also surprising himself. 

Normally Fitzroy would never do this, he would be too scared of what the other person would think of him or if they'd be okay with being hugged in the first place. Hell, most of the time Fitzroy himself didn't want to be hugged or touched at all. But with Argo, it was different. Fitzroy knew that Argo liked physical affection, and their friendship made it feel comfortable and meaningful instead of awkward and forced. 

The closeness between them was like a blanket, a warm protection from the cold outside. Fitzroy buried his face in Argo's shoulder, wanting to be as close to him a possible. He inhaled the familiar smell of saltwater and citrus fruits. One hand held the back of Argo's head, and surprisingly his hair didn't feel like water but rather just normal, wet hair. His other hand ran along his back, stroking him reassuringly. Fitzroy could feel Argo's arms wrapped around him, and the sensation of his firm yet gentle grasp made his heart pound. 

"Thank you," Argo whispered. Fitzroy smiled quietly. He wanted things to be like this forever, to be this simple. He wished that time could freeze in this moment, that he could stay here with Argo forever, not worrying about what would happen next, just enjoying the time they had together. Because he had a sinking feeling that that time was limited. All Fitzroy could do right now was hold him tighter. 

And so the two of them sat there, holding onto one another like there was no tomorrow. The sun lowered into the horizon in front of them and the waves lapped dangerously close to their camping spot. At one point, Fitzroy caught himself dozing off, something he had forgotten he could do. When was the last time he had actually slept? Argo didn't seem to mind but he was still a bit embarrassed. 

The sky was beginning to darken when Fitzroy heard the sound of a carriage running down a dirt path. It took him a moment to register it, but he supposed that was his rental returning to pick them up. Reluctantly, Fitzroy pulled away from Argo. His face grew a shade of pink as he realized that he had been practically sitting on his lap this entire time. Argo's content smile didn't help the growing heat in his face. 

Fitzroy stood up and began to help Argo clean up. He folded the blanket neatly and slipped it in the bag. He looked around for his familiar, who was nowhere to be seen. The knight guessed that Snippers had probably just deactivated (despawned? shut off?) and he could just resummon him later. 

"Well, that's everything," Argo said as he put away the red shovel and swung the woven bag over his shoulder. "Do you have everything of yours?" Fitzroy nodded and Argo nodded back. The genasi held out his hand for him to take. He smiled and held Argo's hand in his as they walked back to the carriage.

\--- 

In order to meditate, Fitzroy needed a level head. But that was practically impossible with everything that had happened, all the missions and the failures and the strange magics and the disappearances and the near-death experiences. Anxieties plagued him and that feeling of forgetting something rang in the back of his mind.

He tried to think of something that calmed him- or rather _someone _. He tried to focus on Argo, tried to think about him instead but then the forgetful feeling only got worse. He worried that maybe that feeling was because his mind had already been messed with, just like Buckminster. But no, Buckminster didn't seem as paranoid as Fitzroy was. If anyone had tried to cast a spell on him, it hadn't worked so far.__

__Suddenly, a glimpse of movement in the corner of the room caught Fitzroy's eye. He squinted, and as he recognized the figure his stomach plummeted. So that's what he had forgotten._ _

__Argo had been sneaking out in the middle of the night, to places unbeknownst to everyone else, including Fitzroy. He was keeping secrets, and there was a possibility that they might be related to-_ _

__Fitzroy squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop himself from assuming the worst out of someone he cared for so deeply. Surely, there was some explanation to Argo's secrecy that was completely unrelated to everything else? Surely, Argo only knew as much as Fitzroy did about this whole fiasco. Surely, he had no involvement in the disappearance of Leon. Did he? Fitzroy hated that it was even a possibility, but once he had thought of it there was no going back._ _

__A bitter taste formed in his mouth as his paranoia slowly ate away at the trust he had in his friend._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the bummer ending, I just wanted this one to fit in with the canon as much as possible. Uhhhh I'm gonna mark this as done but I might come back to it or add something once some things are cleared up in canon... I'm thinking of doing an AU sort of fic for this ship in the meantime. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for stopping by!

**Author's Note:**

> First fic in a long long time! Maplekeene is a really good ship and the lack of content of it is criminal. Oh well, be the creator you wish to see in the world! 
> 
> Thank you for reading and the support! Ily! <3


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